Rightfully so, after Team Alberta skip Kevin Koe and co. took out Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher (Team Wildcard) 4-3 in the final.

It was a game that had all drama of a classic curling contest with Koe, 44, winning the Brier on a dramatic last-rock double in the 10th to score two points finalizing a perfect 13-0 record.

On Wednesday, Koe and teammate Ben Hebert were seen walking the halls of the Glencoe Club, taking congratulations in the midst of a stream of media interviews.

“To cap it all off with a win in a close game on last rock, down to a few inches here or there, it couldn’t be more exciting,” said Koe of the win that gave Alberta its record-setting 28th Tankard.

“It always seems to get tougher and tougher these days (at the Brier). There’s not many upsets at the provincial level, you know you’re going to be playing the best from every province so it’s a super-grind for sure.

“We played great all week, our team really performed and seemed to get better at the end of the week, which was nice.”

Koe’s team of B.J. Neufeld, Colton Flasch and Ben Hebert will now represent Canada at the world men’s curling championship in Lethbridge, Alta., March 30 – April 7 and will also return as Team Canada for the Brier in Kingston next year.

Where does this Brier win rank for Koe among his three others?

“It’s up there — for a few reasons it’s up there,” he said.

“After kind of a disappointing end to the Olympics last year, it was nice to come to the Brier this year, win it and get another chance to represent team Canada, especially with Worlds being so close to home in Lethbridge. It never gets old.”

The Koe team came together quickly after forming in the off-season. Neufeld and Flasch were new additions to a team that represented Canada at the Olympics in 2018, but did not win a medal.

“When we put the team together last summer, it seemed like a good fit on paper but you never know how it’ll work out until you actually hit the ice,” said Koe.

“We’ve had a great year, on and off the ice we’ve gotten along great and it seems to be a real great fit for both new guys. We’re ahead of schedule to… win the Brier in the first year. I’d like to think a couple of years down the road we’ll be even better.”

Neufeld, 33, was just a young lad when his father Chris won the Brier in 1992 as the second for Winnipeg’s Vic Peters.

“It’s super special,” said Neufeld. “I’m really looking forward to sharing this with him. He was my inspiration to get into this game and he drives me to be as good as I can be as a person and an athlete. I can’t wait to give him a hug.”

Koe’s four Brier wins — all with different teams has never slowed him down from being one of the greatest sharpshooters and game callers in Canadian history.

“Bringing on two new guys when we had a teammate step away who didn’t want to play with us anymore and to bring a player in and go back and win again… just shows the professionalism and longevity of a guy like Kevin,” said Hebert.

“He won four Briers with four different teams — that’s pretty special at skip rolling guys in and out. I’d like to think I’m not replaceable, but apparently, I am,” laughed Hebert.

When asked Wednesday about his ability to seemingly win at every corner, no matter who is on his squad, Koe

“To win four Briers is real cool,” said Koe.

“It doesn’t seem like that long ago I hadn’t even been to one. To have different teams, I’ve been lucky to have some great teammates and be on great teams. To have a few different teammates here and there, it’s pretty unique.”

Koe’s teammate and lead, Ben Hebert, said the realization of the victory is starting to surface.

“It’s starting to sink in now, what we accomplished and how special it was to go undefeated… in such a stacked field,” he said.

“This one is super special for a lot of reasons. Losing in the Olympics was a down time for us and a bit of a sore spot, and we wanted to make sure we had a lot of energy left in the tank and a lot of skill to continue to represent Canada.”

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